Off the block: White Sox trade Cease to Padres for 4 players
New White Sox general manager Chris Getz talked about all of the Dylan Cease trade rumors multiple times through the winter and into spring training.
He sent the same message, every time.
“When it comes to Dylan Cease, I mean, you know, certainly teams have called,” Getz said last month. “We’ve had regular conversations. We’ve gone back and forth. The spirit is like any other move we’ve made. If we feel like we’re going to be better, if it's better off for the organization to move Dylan Cease, we’ll do that.”
Getz ultimately found a trade partner — the Padres — and undoubtedly made the Sox's farm system better.
On Wednesday night, Cease was traded to San Diego for four players: minor-leaguers Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala and Jairo Iriarte and veteran reliever Steven Wilson.
Thorpe, a right-handed pitcher, was the Padres' No. 5 prospect, according to Baseball America.
Acquired by San Diego in the December trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees, Thorpe was New York's minor-league player of the year in 2023.
In 23 starts with Class AA Somerset and high A Hudson Valley, the 23-year-old righty was 14-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 182 strikeouts in 139⅓ innings.
Thorpe made a strong impression in spring training, striking out 6 over 7 scoreless innings for the Padres in Cactus League play.
Zavala, San Diego's No. 7 prospect per Baseball America, is a 19-year-old outfielder the Padres signed out of Venezuela for $1.2 million in 2021.
In 115 games with high Class A Fort Wayne and low A Lake Elsinore last season, the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder hit .243/.391/.406 with 14 home runs, 77 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
Iriarte, a 22-year-old pitcher, was San Diego's No. 9 prospect.
The right-hander split last season between Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio and was 3-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 27 games (21 starts). Iriarte had 128 strikeouts in 90.1 innings.
The 29-year-old Wilson made 102 relief appearances with the Padres over the last two seasons and went 5-4 with a 3.48 ERA and 1 save. The right-hander also had 110 strikeouts in 106 innings.
On July 13, 2017, Cease and designated hitter/outfielder Eloy Jimenez were traded from the Cubs to the White Sox for starting pitcher Jose Quintana.
Cease joined the Sox' rotation two years later and, while showing a big arm, he struggled with command.
In 2022, the right-hander put it all together and finished second in American League Cy Young Award voting after going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA while striking out 227 in 184 innings.
Last season, Cease was 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA.
Cease made his final start for the White Sox Tuesday night in a Cactus League game against the Reds. Pitching 3⅓ innings, he allowed 1 run on 2 hits and a walk and had 8 strikeouts.
With trade rumors coming to a boil this week, Cease addressed the topic again Wednesday morning with his usual nonchalance.
“It’s exciting to people,” Cease told reporters Wednesday. “It’s good for the game in the sense of it’s exciting to fan bases. People like seeing it, so I get it. It’s fun and exciting but it’s just not a main focus. The only thing I want is to perform well.”